People who live in Toronto or anywhere else in Canada who want to support their unofficial national major league baseball team will find that Rogers Centre is a beautiful place to spend an afternoon watching the Blue Jays. It highlights a view of the Toronto skyline, and is a central point of the city’s Entertainment District. That means win or lose, you can step outside of the ballpark for some after-game eats, drinks, or general entertainment.
It is more likely you will be crying in an after-game beer if you are a diehard Jays fan, given their recent performance and mismanagement of the team. Still, don’t let that fact take away from the opportunity to get a low priced ticket and support your team.
Ticket Prices Are Nearing Their 10 Year Low
Ticket prices to see the Blue Jays have dropped dramatically since last year, averaging $26.07 for a single ticket to a regular season game. This compares to last year’s price of $31.01, about a 17 percent drop. The lowest a ticket has been in the last decade was $19.10 in 2009, so unless the Blue Jays really bottom out, this is about as low as you should expect for the foreseeable future. The cost for two middlin’ seat tickets is about $32.
Whatever you pay for a ticket, you can get near the field for some personal pics of your favorite players if you get to the ballpark about an hour and a half before game time. Ticket prices have been on a roller coaster ride over the past decade, but considering the team’s abysmal performance over the past few years, the drop in prices was more of a demand from the fans than a strategical financial move by management. When you lose an average of 7,000 fans per game, as was the case in 2018, cutting ticket prices is really not an option to keep the gates open.
Concessions Are Pricey
The continuing flight of fans from the stands has not affected concession prices that much. One reason is that fans can bring their own food to the games, so those who are buying from the concessions are either doing it for the experience of being at a baseball game or simply don’t worry about the prices. You can tote along two 600 milliliter (ml) containers of non-alcoholic beverages in your food pack to drink. If you opt for the Rogers Centre faire, you will discover it is the 6th priciest place to eat of all MLB teams. A beer will cost you about $7.25 for the regular size, while specialty beers will easily top that number. One of the favorite foods is the foot long hot dog, and at $5 the price really isn’t that bad. The cost for a party of two will be about $24.50 for a couple of beers and a foot long. The stadium has added some new and unique foods to their offerings, which may be an option if you are of the adventurous ilk.
Parking Rates are Reasonable
At $22.64 for an afternoon of parking in the middle of Toronto’s Entertainment District you could do worse. To park directly under the stadium will cost you a bit more at $30 per car, but it is on a first-come, first-served basis. If you don’t mind walking a bit, here are your four main options:
- Queens Quay West Garage costs $13 and is a short 6 minute walk to the gates.
- The parking garage at 478 King Street West is even cheaper at $10 but will have you walking for the cost of $1 a minute for the 10 minute jaunt to the stadium.
- Closer, but considerably pricier (closer to the average) is 315 Front Street West at $20. But you will be only about 3 minutes away, making it a good option if you want to make a quick getaway after the game.
- Finally there is Simcoe Place located at 200 Front Street West. It is the same $20 as 315 Front Street but is twice the walking distance at 7 minutes.
The total to see a below average MLB team play 9 innings of baseball is roughly $80 for you and a friend. All things considered, the price isn’t that bad, and Rogers Centre is one of the nicer baseball venues in the league. One reason is that it is used for concerts and other sports events, so there is extra revenue coming in that keeps prices lower than you might expect. If you only go once or twice a year and make the minimum wage, you will use up 2 days pay to attend two games.
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